We put out a box for blue orchard mason bees on our balcony, along with some cocoons, but we hadn’t seen any action. The cocoons were all holed and empty, and we feared predators like wasps had gotten all the bees.

Today I was happy to see a slow-moving, but live, mason bee. Hope to see more as the days go by. We’ve set out lots of flowers on the balcony of various species.

Master birder George Clulow led a group around Burnaby Mountain today. It was great fun, but the birds were on the sparse side, so he suggested ending the morning at Piper Spit on Burnaby Lake, which proved to have an abundance of feathered friends to observe.

We had a sunny, warm day for our chum fry release in Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby, BC, this morning. We arranged for a couple of classes of students from Taylor Park Elementary to come down and help with the release. Kids, teachers, parents, and streamkeeper volunteers all had a great time.

Thanks to our DFO Community Advisor Maurice, and technician Scott. They’re been doing this for years, and are always a pleasure to meet, even for an hour or two.

Thanks also to the volunteers at the Bell-Irving Hatchery out at Kanaka Creek in Maple Ridge, who put in so many hours collecting eggs in the fall, and raising them through to releasable chum fry and coho smolts. It’s a huge task, and we appreciate your ongoing efforts.

Such releases are truly joyful occasions. The kids love scrambling down from the tank to the creek with baggies full of fish, and even adults succumb to the adventure. Everyone feels good about giving back a little.

Mark Sloat from the City of Burnaby and I (Byrne Creek Streamkeepers) tag teamed tonight on talking about watersheds and storm drains to a group of Brownies who will be out marking street drains with yellow fish next week.

I attended a birding tour around Burnaby BC’s Deer Lake today led by master birder George Clulow. It was a crisp, sunny morning, and great fun. There was plenty to see, but I ended up splitting my photography efforts between birds and blossoms, since I’d decided not to shlep the heavy artillery for the two-hour walk. It’s hard getting a decent hummingbird shot without the big lens and tripod.

The heron rookery. Here’s one carrying material for a nest

Mallard couple at the east beach

American Wigeon couple at the east beach

Snoozing mallards at the east beach

Frog in the lake, likely invasive

Turtles in the lake. They all look like invasive red-eared sliders, though one may not be